Daily ELA Warm Ups

May 4, 2019

As a middle school ELA teacher, I became aware very quickly that there are NOT enough minutes in a class period to possibly address all of the Common Core State Standards. After experimenting with a variety of different lesson planning and scheduling strategies, I landed on this. Whether you call them warm ups, bell ringers or do nows- those first 7-10 minutes of class are the most precious minutes you have! These are the few focused minutes before I accidentally get so swept into a novel that I lose track of time. The end of class bell is my enemy, so I needed to fall in love with that first bell.

Thoughtful Thursday on display for students as they walk in the door

I use my warm ups to strategically schedule the elements I all too often overlook. On Mixed Up Mondays, we solve analogies. On Typo Tuesdays, I prosecute the grammar crimes that keep me up at night. Then, on Writer Wednesdays, we add volume to our Writer’s Notebooks. Later, on Thoughtful Thursdays, we analyze and write constructed responses. And on Fridays, we reflect on our learning. We never miss one. This has improved on-task behavior more than I can even explain! Students love knowing exactly what to expect when they walk in the room. We are a well oiled machine through the entire warm up.

That’s important, because after the warm up, I can’t be responsible for student writing that is so amazing I have to change directions, or character development conversations that take a full class period because we get emotional. Take a peek at the video to get a closer look!

Here’s an inside look at how my ELA Warmups have changed my instruction.As an ELA teacher, it feels almost impossible to get in all of the CCSS for your grade level. Here’s how I stopped the guilt, and started checking off standards in the first 10 minutes every day.

💔Not all of the homes our students live in, are meant for a 24/7 quarantine. Not all of the adults who live with children can handle the added pressure. For many of our students, school has been an escape, a respite, a safe haven- from their home lives. And that escape was taken 3 months ago without warning.

🛎 I’ve come to appreciate in recent months, the vital role public school departments play in our communities. The scale of the work has been much grander than the academics and due dates. There are mobile food stations and wellness checks, phone calls and internet setups. There are intuitive teachers recognizing that “something’s just not right” and administrators encouraging them to trust their instincts.

🌼Kids are resilient. Often, they are so strong and brave, you’d never guess where they’ve been.

🌈The WHOLE picture is a big one right now. Before you judge a decision, know that there’s a whole lot you do not know. And know, that everyone involved has the best of intentions. I am in awe of the amazingly thoughtful and important work being done by my educator colleagues in schools all over right now. ...